Well, it continues to happen. When I teach intentional torts and false imprisonment to my
students I can see them sitting there thinking ... who would ever do
anything like that to a kid? And I tell them, you know, it happens all
the time (unfortunately). Well, a rookie teacher in Chicago taped a special education student to a chair using masking tape -- and was fired, of course.



I
can't help but think this is exactly the type of incident that could
have been prevented had the rookie teacher had educational law in her
pre-service preparation program. Clearly, any teacher should know that
it is wrong to tape a kid to a chair. But, teachers that have taken
educational law know why it is wrong and know how they are liable.
There is less debate in their mind concerning the legality of their
actions. I
understand that pre-service teachers need lots of classes to get ready
to enter the classrooms, but seems like a class that clearly informs
teachers of
what is legally right and what is legally wrong and why, would be a
good idea. There is a reason we have laws against these things, but we
are just assuming that teachers will miraculously know this on their
own. Why are we doing that? We could make a lot of little things like
this go away. Not all of it, but a good deal of it. I am tired of
reading about this stuff in the papers.



Crossposted At the Schoolhouse Gate